Rwanda vs South Africa: School life expectancy, primary, male
Rwanda
9.45 years
in 2024
South Africa
7.3 years
in 2023
Rwanda rank
2nd
South Africa rank
24th
School life expectancy, primary, male over time
- Rwanda
- South Africa
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 9.45 years against 7.3 years in South Africa, a difference of 2.15 years.
That makes Rwanda's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1986 it was South Africa ahead.
Rwanda ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 24th of 215 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Rwanda | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.29 years | 6.02 years | 1.73 years | South Africa |
| 1990s | 4.57 years | 7.12 years | 2.55 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 8.37 years | 6.92 years | 1.44 years | Rwanda |
| 2010s | 8.95 years | 7.37 years | 1.58 years | Rwanda |
| 2020s | 9.38 years | 7.33 years | 2.06 years | Rwanda |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school life expectancy, primary, male, Rwanda or South Africa?
- Rwanda, at 9.45 years against 7.3 years in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary, male between Rwanda and South Africa?
- 2.15 years, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and South Africa?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2023.
- How do Rwanda and South Africa rank globally for school life expectancy, primary, male?
- Rwanda ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 24th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School life expectancy, primary, male (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release